Abstract 5264: The National Cancer Institute's biospecimen research database: A community resource for improving specimen quality

• Published in: Cancer research (Chicago, Ill.) Vol. 76; no. 14_Supplement; p. 5264
• Main Authors: Engel, Kelly B., Greytak, Sarah R., Guan, Ping, Moore, Helen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 15-07-2016
• ISSN: 0008-5472; 1538-7445
• DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.AM2016-5264

Tissue and blood biospecimens used in cancer research are collected, processed and stored using standard operating procedures (SOPs) that can vary tremendously across institutions. This lack of standardization in biospecimen collection and processing practices across sample sets and institutions can be a contributing source of research variability and can compromise analytical results. In an effort to minimize preanalytical variability and improve the quality of biospecimens used for cancer research, the National Cancer Institute's Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research Branch (BBRB) developed the Biospecimen Research Database (BRD; http://biospecimens.cancer.gov/brd). The BRD is a free and publically accessible online database that aims to (i) improve access to peer-reviewed articles that investigate the impacts that biospecimen collection and handling practices can have on clinical, molecular, and proteomic endpoints, (ii) facilitate transparency between institutions and researchers by promoting SOP sharing and distribution, and (iii) improve the quality of biospecimens through the development of evidence-based procedural guidelines. To date, the BRD houses more than 2,300 articles and 200 SOPs from 30 different participating biobanking institutions. Articles are meticulously categorized and annotated by a team of Ph.D.-level scientists according to the type of biospecimen and technology platform used and the preanalytical factors investigated. Literature contained within the BRD serves as the foundation for internally developed reviewed papers as well as evidence-based procedural guidelines, termed Biospecimen Evidence-Based Practices, which focus on biospecimen collection, preservation, and processing. In addition, more than 90% of the BRD's SOP library was contributed by other government offices, non-profit, private, and international biobanks and institutions. BBRB has invested a substantial and continued level of effort in the establishment of this scientifically accurate and robust database. Ongoing participation by the scientific community in the form of public commenting, article suggestions and SOP submissions is encouraged and will increase both the diversity and value of the BRD.
Citation Format: Kelly B. Engel, Sarah R. Greytak, Ping Guan, Helen Moore. The National Cancer Institute's biospecimen research database: A community resource for improving specimen quality. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 5264.